Ongoing Genealogy Drop-in Help
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Listed here are times when a volunteer from Fox Valley Genealogical Society will be available to help individuals either to get started on a family history project or to complete difficult research challenges. Nichols Library Adult Services Department 1st Tuesday each month 6:30-8:30 p.m. 3rd Thursday each month 3:00-5:00 p.m. 95th Street Library Adult Services Department 2nd Thursday each month 12:30-2:30 p.m. Nichols Library 200 W. Jefferson Ave. Naperville, Illinois 60540 95th Street Library 3015 Cedar Glade Dr. Naperville, Illinois 60564 630-961-4100
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Naperville Public Library Online Resources All databases are available from home with your library card number and PIN, except Ancestry –Library Edition which is in-library use only. No library card is needed to access these resources within the library.
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On Saturday, May 26th Nichols Library will be visited by local chapter representatives of two lineage societies, Daughters of the American Revolution, and Sons of the American Revolution. A lineage society is an organization created to honor a specific heritage or event. Members of lineage societies must prove their descent of that heritage or event through industry approved genealogical proof standards. Cyndi's List, Societies & Groups » Lineage Societies, is a good resource for learning about the variety of lineage societies available. Saturday's visitors will present the many benefits of society membership, which include access to a wealth of family history resources. These representatives will have society information available and make their introductions directly after Jane Haldeman's presentation "Researching Your Colonial American Ancestors."
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To learn about the search tools and collections found in Ancestry Library Edition, Heritage Quest, and Fold3 look to the assortment of ProQuest Genealogy Training Materials found here. ProQuest provides pages of instructions, tips, and webinars that are periodically updated to cover changes in the latest versions of each resource. ProQuest is the company that Ancestry.com partnered with to make their collections available to library customers through these databases. Did you know that Heritage Quest is not available to individual subscribers? It is available to anyone in our library buildings connected to Naperville Public Library's Wi-Fi, and to Naperville cardholders remotely. Heritage Quest has the same enhanced image viewer that Ancestry.com uses and provides access to many Ancestry collections including the most used Ancestry collection, census records. Ancestry Library Edition users can save time and benefit from the efforts of Ancestry.com members when public member trees appear in their search results. If one or more public member trees are included in search results they will be counted in the 'Family Trees' Category on the left side of a search results page. Sometimes a family tree is at the top of a results list, but trees with more records and sources may be available. Click 'See more like this' (next to the family tree at the top of the list) in order to access a list of family trees. The list details will include the number of records and sources in each tree. Remember not to assume facts found in an online family tree are accurate. Evaluating sources is a necessary part of genealogy research. Amy Johnson Crow. a Certified Genealogist with more than 20 years of family history experience has recently written about evaluating sources in her article 5 Things to Ask About Genealogy Information. Her blog can be found here.
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Saturday, May 26, 9:30-11a.m.
Nichols Community Room This program by Jane Haldeman explores ancestors living in the Original Thirteen Colonies before the Revolutionary War. Each colonist came to the “new world” for different reasons and each colony was different. They come for both religious and economic opportunities. Find out what records are available and where they are to learn about Colonial American Ancestors. In addition, information from patriot heritage societies will be shared after the program. Light refreshments will be available.
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Thursday, June 14, 7:30-9 p.m. Refreshments 7 p.m. Naperville Municipal Center 400 S. Eagle Street, Meeting room B This free event honoring the Illinois bicentennial is in cooperation with Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau and Fox Valley Genealogical Society. This program by historian John Hallwas is intended to foster community by emphasizing local heritage that helps residents to feel meaningfully connected. Illinois’s monumental literary heritage is particularly rich in autobiographies and memoirs, including the first noted autobiography from the Midwest (Chief Black Hawk’s), the most famous memoir associated with the Civil War (Ulysses S. Grant’s), and one of the most celebrated autobiographies by an American woman (Jane Addams’s Twenty Years at Hull House), among many others. Such works often address issues of identity and belonging, which are as crucial today as ever.
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Genealogy Roundtable (NIC) Saturday, June 30, 9:30-10:30 am Nichols Program Room This genealogy interest group provides the opportunity to network and learn from other family history enthusiasts. Genealogy hobbyists who would like to talk about their discoveries, share collection tips, and learn from other family historians are encouraged to join. To prepare for Independence Day, the roundtable conversation starters will be the topics of Revolutionary War ancestors and naturalization, and resources for researching both. Attendees can join in to share additional topics, discoveries and questions. Light refreshments.
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Facebook is a powerhouse tool. Laurie Filipiak from Fox Valley Genealogical Society will explain how to use Facebook to make worldwide connections, style the best searches, and grow a family tree. She will also explain networking and joining and creating groups in this resource.
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Saturday, August 25, 9:30 a.m. Nichols Community Room Caron Primas Brennan will explain why and how to implement DNA testing in genealogy research. Brennan will use case studies and examples, to illustrate how to incorporate DNA testing into family history research. This is NOT a primer on the science of DNA, although some basic information is included. The audience does not have to be knowledgeable about DNA testing to learn from this presentation. Caron Primas Brennan is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists, the CAGNNI Speakers Bureau, a Board Member of the Chicago Genealogical Society, and a Board Member of the Illinois State Genealogical Society.
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The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy 4th Editionby Val D. GreenwoodResearcher's Guide to American Genealogy instructs the researcher in the timeless principles of genealogical research, while identifying the most current classes of records and research tools. It is both a textbook and an all-purpose reference book, designed to help the present generation of family history researchers better understand and utilize all available resources. This 4th edition provides a clear, comprehensive, and up-to-date account of American genealogy. This 4th edition has been completely updated, incorporating all the latest developments, principles, and resources relevant to family history research. There are now two chapters about technology as it relates to family history research--one dealing with significant concepts and definitions and the other with specific resources and applications, including major family history websites and Internet resources.
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The Family Tree Historical Atlas of American Citiesby Allison DolanShares historical maps of sixteen populous and influential United States cities, as well as timelines identifying important moments in each city's history and city-specific genealogy resources.
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They Became Americans: Finding Naturalization Records and Ethnic Originsby Loretto Dennis SzucsAmerica is a nation of immigrants. Through naturalization records, genealogists, historians, and other scholars trace the immigration stores of individuals and groups that traveled from afar to call themselves Americans. They Became Americans provides an accurate, readable, and interesting historical framework for the citizenship process. It suggests ways of finding naturalization records and discusses the weaknesses and strengths of the different types of records. If naturalization records are not to be found, They Became Americans points to a variety of alternative sources for finding immigrant origins.
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U.S. Military Records: a Guide to Federal and State Sources, Colonial America to the Presentby James C. NeaglesFrom the earliest days of the United States, millions of Americans have served their country in the military. For this reason, genealogists and others wisely look to military records for information needed to enhance their research. Records created as a result of individuals' military service are extremely valuable because they often contain detailed personal information about their subjects—date and place of birth, places of residence, names and addresses of loved ones, and more. The researcher's dilemma is in knowing what records are available and how to find them among the overwhelming abundance of military records. U.S. Military Records describes the records that are available and where they can be found. Gathered in this volume is source information for the National Archives and its adjuncts; historical institutions and archives of the armed forces; the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans Administration); state archives, libraries and historical organizations; and such patriotic organizations as the Daughters of the American Revolution.
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Sugar in the Blood: A Family's Story of Slavery and Empireby Andrea StuartThe author of The Rose of Martinique presents a history of the interdependence of sugar, slavery and colonial settlement in the New World through the story of the author's ancestors, exploring the myriad connections between sugar cultivation and her family's identity, genealogy and financial stability.
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This DVD is available from our partner libraries when you click "Search Linkin Partner Libraries" on the right side of this results page.
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